Hermetically sealed packaged prophylactic



Nov. 1, 1966 S.PENKSA HERMETICALLY SEALED PACKAGED PROPHYLACTIC Filed March 12, 1965 United States Patent 3,282,414 HERMETICALLY SEALED PACKAGED PROPHYLACTIC Stanley Penksa, Worcester, N.Y. Filed Mar. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 439,318 Claims. (Cl. 206-632) The invention relates to an improved packaged prophylactic, and more particularly relates to a hermetically sealed packaged prophylactic in which there is provided an annularly disposed lubricating tube peripherally (11S- posed about a rolled prophylactic sheath, said lubricating tube having a plurality of lubricating duct-s inwardly dlsposed along the edge of the lubricating tube so that a lubricant is discharged or dispersed upon the outer side of said sheath as the sheath is unrolled. The lubricating tube is separately constructed from the rolled prophylactic sheath and, as it is desired to unroll the prophylactic sheath, lubricant is discharged from the lubricating tube annularly disposed about the rolled prophylactic sheath so that the outer surface has a lubricant or a lubricating jelly substantially dispersed throughout the unrolled surface of said sheath. In this way, the improved advantages and objects of the present invention are realized.

A further feature of the lubricating tube that is peripher-ally disposed about the rolled prophylactic sheath is that the lubricating tube may be covered by a substantially U-shaped annular cover forming a casing for encompassing the combination of components, so that the package may be easily opened by a tear strip or other convenient means.

These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon full consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is \an illustration of the lubricating tube used in conjunction with the assembly of elements of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of a rolled prophy- Lactic sheath having the lubricating tube peripherally disposed thereto, and having a casing thereover, together with a tear tab for opening the hermetically sealed splitring lubricating tube;

FIGURE 3 shows the manner in which the lubricating tube may be opened after the casing or packaged element is removed, and further shows a cross sectional view of the lubricating tube;

FIGURE 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the rolled prophylactic sheath, the annularly disposed lubricating tube and the casing superimposed thereon, along lines 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the sheath in a partially unrolled condition;

FIGURE 6 shows a modification in which lubricating ducts disposed along the inner edge of the annularly disposed lubricating tube discharge lubricant only upon the outer surface of the sheath and the manner in which the lubricant may be dispensed, as the sheath is unrolled, for providing substantial maximum coverage of the lubricant or lubricating jelly upon the outer cover of the sheath; and

FIGURE 7 shows another modification in a cross sectional broken away view of the manner in which the plurality of lubricating duct-s may be covered preliminary to the prophylactic sheath being unrolled.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a rolled prophylactic sheath 10, such as shown in FIGURE 4, constructed of rubber, plastic, elastomeric material, or silicone rubber, in which the cylindrical portion of the sheath is wrapped entirely about the rolled portion 12, and as the rolled portion 12 is unrolled forming the cylindrical portion of said sheath 14, the rolled portion 12 ice is unwound and is removed from being located adjacent the inner portion of an annularly disposed lubricating tube 16 peripherally disposed about the rolled prophylactic sheath 12. The lubricating tube is shown in FIG- URE 1 so that there is contained therein a cavity or annular recess 18 for carrying a lubricant or a lubricating jelly, or like material, which is dispensed throughout a plurality of lubricating ducts 20, 20, 20, each of which is disposed along an inner engaging edge or surface of a tear-shaped extension along the annularly disposed lubricating tube for discharging a lubricant or lubricating jelly or an antiseptic material of lubricant character upon the outer side of said sheath as the sheath is unrolled. Each of these ducts is disposed upon the side of the rolled prophylactic sheath which projects from the unrolled portion, so that the outer side of said sheath receives the lubricant. The lubricant tube 16 may be essentially an overlying casing for dispensing the lubricating means, and as it is not securely fastened onto the sheath, it may be rotated in an axial direction or may be oscillated in an axial direction for providing the lubricant upon the entire outer surface throughout of the sheath. The object is to obtain maximum surface coverage of the lubricant mean-s, whether it be a jelly, a glycerine, an algenate, or a silicone oil emulsion. Thus it is seen that when the sheath in its rolled condition is disposed for being placed upon the glans penis, the prophylactic sheath is then unrolled. Thus, as the prophylactic sheath is formed in the unrolled position upon the penis, the lubricating tube is caused to discharge the lubricant means so that the outer surface of the sheath is formed by having disposed thereupon a substantial covering of lubricant. In order to achieve the maximum coverage, the lubricating tube may be turned about the unrolled sheath so that the entire surface of the sheath is made available to have disposed thereupon some of the lubricant as it is dispensed from tear-shaped extensions having the lubricating ducts 20, 20, 20.

The lubricant is used by holding it with the thumb and fingers and sliding it over the surface of the sheath as it has been placed over the penis, and this is achieved by the prophylactic being held frictionally against the lubricating tube. Therefore, as the prophylactic has received the lubricating means upon the surface thereof, it is adapted to frictionless insertion into the vagina painlessly and with the degree of procedure as desired.

It is seen by the convex construction of the inner engaging portion of the lubricating tube that it is disposed for being inserted upon the rolled prophylactic sheath 12, which may be a thin sheet of rubber that is capable of being distended into cylindrical form, and hermetically sealed, :as is well known, and partially shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, and the lubricating tube 16 rests upon the rolled prophylactic sheath 12.

The lubricating ducts 20, 20, shown in FIGURE 7, may have a separate tear tab 26 to completely cover the ducts until they are ready to be used for dispensing the lubricant means and then may be completely severed or removed to open the tear ducts, as desired.

There is shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 a tear tab 32, so that the tear tab, which is shown in a U-shaped crosssection in FIGURE 4, may be disposed for covering the assembly of end elements 36, 36, forming the prophylactic lubricating tube, and may then be hermetically sealed end-t-o-end together in forming the package. The tear tab 32, shown in FIGURE 2, may be used for releasing the ends 36, 36, so that they may be removed from each other as shown in FIGURE 3. t

It is within the contemplation of the present invention to provide the assembly of elements as shown and described, and it is further within the contemplation of the present invention to dispense separately the lubricating means so that as the rolled prophylactic sheath may be available without the lubricating tube and its array of lubricating ducts, it may be separately available and purchased for use with such non-lubricated rolled prophylactics, and in this way may be applied to a previously rolled unlubricated prophylactic sheath, or it may be separately applied to a prophylactic sheath which has already been unrolled in place and the lubricating ducts of the lubricating tube may dispense the lubricating means as desired along the length of the prophylactic sheath. It is further Within the contemplation of the present invention that the tear strip may be made an integral part of the lubricating tube as well as a separate piece, as shown in FIGURE 7. The tear strip may be a string type or of sheet construction as shown, or as otherwise known in the art. The lubricant material may be applied by inserting it under pressure into the end of the lubricating tube such as shown in FIGURE 1, so that it is applied under pressure at one end of the broken connection of the annular tube, and it may be filled throughout until it is dispensed from the adjacent end of the tube, and then the two ends may be joined together as shown in FIG- URES 2 and 3. The lubricant, of course, may be of the consistency of grease, oil or like material including a silicone oil, and the like.

Additional embodiments of the invention in this specification will occur to others and therefore it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited only by the appended claims and not by the embodiments described hereinabove. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claims in determining the full scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A hermetically sealed packaged prophylactic comprising a rolled prophylactic sheath of thin sheet rubber, an annularly disposed lubricating tube peripherally disposed about said rolled prophylactic sheath, said annularly disposed lubricating tube having a concave portion on the inner portion thereof for receiving said rolled prophylactic sheath, and a plurality of lubricating ducts disposed along an inner edge of said annularly disposed lubricating tube for discharging lubricant means on the outer side of said sheath as the sheath is unrolled under the lubricating ducts, and said annularly disposed lubricating tube having sufiicient freedom to be moved upon said rolled prophylactic sheath for dispensing said lubricating means throughout any portion of said sheath, as desired.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein a tear tab is disposed to cover the lubricating ducts.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said lubricating tube is a tear-shaped extension, and having the ducts at the end of the tear-shaped portion.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein the ducts are at the ends of a split-ring lubricating tube.

5. The invention according to claim 1 wherein a package tfor hermetically sealing said prophylactic sheath is provided, and maintaining the lubricant as well as the prophylactic in a protected condition.

6. The invention according to claim 1 wherein a tear tape or strip is provided on said package for removing the package from the prophylactic and lubricating tube assembly.

7. The invention according to claim 1 wherein a tear strip is provided for closing off the lubricating tube ducts until the strip is removed and the prophylactic sheath is to be unrolled.

8. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said tube is of plastic.

9. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said tube is of elastomeric material.

10. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said tube is of silicone rubber.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,326,159 8/1943 Mendel 128157 2,410,460 11/1946 Robinson 128294 2,904,041 9/1959 Brown 128l32 3,136,417 6/1964 Clinch 128132 3,139,886 7/1964 Tallman et al. 128263 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

W. T. DIXSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A HERMETICALLY SEALED PACKAGED PROPHYLACTIC COMPRISING A ROLLED PROPHYLACTIC SHEATH OF THIN SHEET RUBBER, AN ANNULARLY DISPOSED LUBRICATING TUBE PERIPHERALLY DISPOSED ABOUT SAID ROLLED PROPHYLATIC SHEATH, SAID ANNULARLY DISPOSED LUBRICATING TUBE HAVING A CONCAVE PORTION ON THE INNER PORTION THEREOF FOR RECEIVING SAID ROLLED PROPHYLACTIC SHEATH, AND A PLURALITY OF LUBRICATING DUCTS DISPOSED ALONG AN INNER EDGE OF SAID ANNULARLY DISPOSED LUBRICATING TUBE FOR DISCHARGING LUBRICANT MEANS ON THE OUTER SIDE OF SAID SHEATH AS THE SHEATH IS UNROLLED UNDER THE LUBRICATING DUCTS, AND SAID ANNULARLY DISPOSED LUBRICATING TUBE HAVING SUFFICIENT FREEDOM TO BE MOVED UPON SAID ROLLED PROPHYLACTIC SHEATH FOR DISPENSING SAID LUBRICATING MEANS THROUGHOUT ANY PORTION OF SAID SHEATH, AS DESIRED. 